NBA Grind Down: Friday, January 24th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!
Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
L.A.Lakers at Orlando
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Marshall-Meeks-Young-Kelly-Gasol
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Harris-Davis
L.A.Lakers
There are 13 games on this busy night in the NBA so I will try to focus on the picks more than the team analysis. This game is going to be all about offense. Both of these teams average at least 96 possessions per game which means this one should be an extremely fast-paced game. That’s great news for both team’s fantasy value.
- Pau Gasol – Ever since Nikola Vucevic went down with his injury, the Magic have dropped dramatically in the DvP rankings, especially vs. bigs. Pau is playing in a back to back which is a bit worrisome, but you can’t ignore the matchup. The offense is running through Pau and he has a major height advantage over Davis. He should have a big night offensively and on the glass.
- Ryan Kelly – is being a bit overlooked tonight due to the fact that there are so many other options. But I think he makes a great play, he is extremely cheap on both FD and DK tonight and should be used heavily in your lineups tonight. He is averaging well over 20 FP’s per game as a starter and has a solid matchup against the Magic’s under-sized bigs.
Orlando
The Magic are one of my favorite teams to target tonight. They will be without Nikola Vucevic once again so they will roll out the same starters that they have been using over the last week or so. The Lakers are one of the worst defenses in the league and all five starters are in play tonight. Tobias Harris, Jameer Nelson, and Arron Afflalo are all solid plays, but I’m going to be using Oladipo and Davis the most tonight.
- Victor Oladipo – Oladipo is probably my top GPP play tonight. He has incredible upside and has been the Magic’s main playmaker over the past couple of games. With Vucevic still out, Oladipo will get another start and you have to love the matchup against the Lakers. Oladipo is at his best in transition and that is where the Lakers defense is at his worst. When Oladipo gets the ball in transition, watch out because he can attack the rim at will or stop on a dime and hit that little pull up jumper.
- Glen Davis – Davis seems to have hit a wall over his past few games and I think most of that is from fatigue. He’s not exactly a player that should be averaging 35 minutes per game. Luckily for him, he is facing a Lakers defense that really struggles to defend the paint. They give up layups and dunks seemingly every other time down the floor. Davis should get back to his 18 and 10 type of numbers.
Toronto at Philadelphia
- Vegas Line – Toronto -5.5, 206 Over/Under
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes
Toronto
This game benefits one team’s fantasy value and really hurts the other team’s fantasy value. As you can see the Sixers are playing so the team that benefits is the Raptors. The Sixers are ranked in the bottom 4 at defending every position on the floor. All five starters are in play here, as well as Patrick Patterson who has really played well off the bench.
- Kyle Lowry – Lowry has had a couple of down performances in a row. Partly due to the fact that he was dealing with the flu and partly due to the increased role that Greivis Vasquez has taken. With Vasquez in the game, Lowry plays off the ball which really hurts his fantasy value. This recent slump is going to scare many DFS players away from Lowry tonight and I think tonight is the perfect time to buy low on him. He has an incredibly favorable matchup tonight and it sounds like he will have plenty of friends and family in attendance.
- DeMar DeRozan – DeRozan is on an incredible tear right now, he has scored over 40 fantasy points in 6 of his last 7 games and now gets a matchup against the worst defense in the league. His price has gone up across the board, but he is now a reliable fantasy option so don’t be afraid to use him.
Philadelphia
The Sixers are not in a great position tonight. The Raptors have an above average defense and they play at a much slower pace than the Sixers do. Tony Wroten is a game-time decision tonight, if he can’t go, it does give a nice boost to Michael Carter-Williams. Other than MCW, there aren’t any attractive plays here. Spencer Hawes would be the one exception as Valanciunas could struggle to defend him on the perimeter.
San Antonio at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -4.5, 208 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Belinelli-Ginobili-Diaw-Duncan
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Brand
San Antonio
The Spurs will be without both Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard tonight. That opens up big minutes for Marco Belinelli, Manu Ginobili, and Patty Mills. All three make interesting plays tonight, but Manu is the strongest play of the three. The Hawks have defended PG’s and PF’s well this season though which does hurt the value of both Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.
Atlanta
The Hawks don’t have a great matchup on paper, but this game does have a high total. It’s one of those situations where you don’t know whether to trust the DvP rankings or the Vegas line. In this case, I think I am going to avoid the Hawks for the most part. The Spurs rank in the top 8 against every position on the floor except for PG’s. Jeff Teague would typically be a nice play here, but he has really been struggling ever since Al Horford went down with his injury.
Oklahoma City at Boston
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -6.5, 198 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Boston Proj. Starters – Rondo-Green-Wallace-Sullinger-Humphries
Oklahoma City
The main story here is Kevin Durant. He is on an incredible tear right now and is etching his name onto that MvP trophy. He has scored at least 30 actual points in 9 straight games and will look to take that streak to double-digits tonight. Durant is the top overall option once again, but with so many options on the board tonight, I’m not sure that I will be paying up for him.
- Reggie Jackson – The Celtics have really dropped in the DvP rankings against PG’s over the last 15 days. Part of that has to do with Rondo being back, part of it has to do with Crawford being gone, and it also doesn’t hurt that Avery Bradley will be out tonight. Look for Jackson to stay aggressive early. I like his price and his upside tonight.
- Serge Ibaka – Ibaka is also in play tonight. His price is affordable across the industry and the Celtics have been awful defensively down low. The Celtics just don’t have the size to defend talented bigs down low. Look for Ibaka to be a beast on the glass and hopefully have a nice game offensively.
Boston
The Celtics are going to be without both Jerryd Bayless and Avery Bradley again tonight which opens up big minutes for Phil Pressey, Gerald Wallace, and Jeff Green. All make interesting plays because they should all see more minutes than their season average and their prices are all pretty affordable across the board. I am going to continue to avoid Rajon Rondo until he is cleared to play 30+ minutes.
- Jared Sullinger – In addition to Green, Pressey, and Wallace, I also like Sullinger tonight. He will be matched up with Ibaka. While Ibaka is a great shot blocker, he is not exactly a great defender. The Thunder are ranked 22nd at defending the PF position this season.
Dallas at Brooklyn
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -2, 200.5 Over/Under
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Livingston-Anderson-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett
Dallas
The Mavericks are two point underdogs tonight against the Nets in what is should be a game that is played at an average pace. The Mavs like to push the ball and the Nets like to slow the pace a bit. Dirk Nowitzki will be back in the lineup tonight after sitting out their last game to rest. I think he has a decent matchup, but not good enough to warrant cash game consideration. The Nets have really turned up their defense over the past few weeks and I’ll likely be avoiding all Mavs tonight.
Brooklyn
The Nets have a decent matchup tonight, but they are starting to have the same problem that they were having in the beginning of the year: too many productive players on the court at the same time. There aren’t any players that really stand out tonight. This should be a good game to watch, but not a great one to target for daily fantasy.